Gambling Addiction & Recovery Support Group
Compulsive gambling is an urge or addiction to gamble despite harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop. A preferred term among many professionals is problem gambling, as few people described by the term experience true compulsions in the clinical sense of the word. Problem gambling often is defined by whether harm is experienced by the gambler or others rather...
Good Afternoon Folks
Took me awhile to figure out how to get back into the site.
I am not computer wise.But am back and I am going to start
posting the GA Reflection for the Day again and hope to catch
up with my old recovery friends and to meet some new people.
If you are interested I visit a new site called Gamtalk that is run
out of Montreal Canada and it has 24/7 chat room and on Friday
at 3pm est we have a group Topic Session.Today's topic is Step 9.
God Bless
Ken L GRCG
March 22 Reflection for the Day
Once in a great while, I find myself thinking perhaps things werent quite so bad as they seemed to be. At such moments, I force myself to realize that my illness is talking to me, trying to tempt me into denying that I am, in fact, afflicted with an illness. One of the key action steps of the Gamblers Anonymous Program is that we give our illness to God, as we understand Him, accepting our powerlessness in the face of His greater Power.
Do I believe that the grace of God can do for me what I could never do for myself?
Today I Pray
May I know that much of our lives depends on faith. For we cannot know the limits of space and time or explain the mysteries of life and death. But when we see God working through us and through others who have found new life in the GA Program it is all the evidence we need to know that God exists.
Today I will Remember
The Big Wheel runs by faith.
Took me awhile to figure out how to get back into the site.
I am not computer wise.But am back and I am going to start
posting the GA Reflection for the Day again and hope to catch
up with my old recovery friends and to meet some new people.
If you are interested I visit a new site called Gamtalk that is run
out of Montreal Canada and it has 24/7 chat room and on Friday
at 3pm est we have a group Topic Session.Today's topic is Step 9.
God Bless
Ken L GRCG
March 22 Reflection for the Day
Once in a great while, I find myself thinking perhaps things werent quite so bad as they seemed to be. At such moments, I force myself to realize that my illness is talking to me, trying to tempt me into denying that I am, in fact, afflicted with an illness. One of the key action steps of the Gamblers Anonymous Program is that we give our illness to God, as we understand Him, accepting our powerlessness in the face of His greater Power.
Do I believe that the grace of God can do for me what I could never do for myself?
Today I Pray
May I know that much of our lives depends on faith. For we cannot know the limits of space and time or explain the mysteries of life and death. But when we see God working through us and through others who have found new life in the GA Program it is all the evidence we need to know that God exists.
Today I will Remember
The Big Wheel runs by faith.
Determination - our clenched-jaw resolve that we can do something about everything - is perhaps the greatest hindrance to achieving serenity. Our old tapes tell us, "The difficult can be done immediately; the impossible will take a little longer." So we tighten up and prepare ourselves for battle, even though we know from long experience that our own will dooms us in advance for failure. Over and over we are told in the Gamblers Anonymous Program that we must "Let Go and Let God." And we eventually do find serenity when we put aside our own will while accepting God's will for us.
Am I learning to relax my stubborn grip? Do I allow the solutions to unfold by themselves?
Today I Pray
May I loosen my tight jaw, my tight fists, my general uptightness - outward indications of the "do it all myself" syndrome that has gotten me into trouble before. May I know from experience that this attitude - "keep a grip on yourself and on everyone else too" - is accompanied by impatience and followed by frustration. May I merge my own will with the greater will of God.
Today I Will Remember
Loosen up on the stranglehold.
I remember once hearing someone in the Gamblers Anonymous Program say, "Life is a series of agreeings or disagreeings with the universe." There is much truth in that statement, for I'm only a small cog in the machinery of the universe. When I try to run things my way, I'll experience only frustration and a sense of failure. If, instead, I learn to let go, success will assuredly be mine. Then I'll have time to count my blessings, work on my shortcomings, and live fully and richly in the Now.
Do I believe that what I am meant to know I will know if I practice the Eleventh Step praying only for the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Today I Pray
May I take my direction from the Eleventh Step - and not fall into my usual habit of making itemized lists for God of all my pleas and entreaties and complaints. My I no longer second-guess God with my specific solutions, but pray only that His will be done. May I count my blessings instead of my beseechings.
Today I Will Remember
Stop list-making for God.
When we allow our Higher Power to take charge, without reservations on our part, we stop being "anxious." When we're not anxious about some person or situation, that doesn't mean we're disinterested or have stopped caring. Just the opposite is true. We can be interested and caring without being anxious or fearful. The poised, calm, and faith-filled person brings something positive to every situation. He or she is able to do the things that are necessary and helpful.
Do I realize how much better prepared I am to do wise and loving things if I banish anxious thoughts and know that God is in charge?
Today I Pray
I pray that I may be rid of the anxiety that I have equated in my mind with really caring about people. May I know that anxiety is not an item of outerwear that can be doffed like a cap. May I know that I must have serenity within myself and confidence that God can do a better job than I can - and then my anxiety will lessen.
Today I Will Remember
Anxiety never solved anything.
When I say the Serenity Prayer, sometimes over and over, I occasionally lose sight of the prayer's meaning even as I repeat its words. So I try to think of the meaning of each phrase as I say it, whether aloud or silently. As I concentrate on the meaning, my understanding grows, along with my capability to realize the difference between what I can change, and what I cannot.
Do I see that most improvements in my life will come from changing my own attitudes and behavior?
Today I Pray
May my Higher Power show me new and deeper meanings in the Serenity Prayer each time I say it. As I apply it to my life's situations and relationships, may its truth be underlined for me again and again. May I realize that serenity, courage, and wisdom are all that I need to cope with living, but that none of these three have value unless they grow out of my trust in a Higher Power.
Today I Will Remember
God's formula for living: serenity, courage and wisdom.
OCTOBER 11 Reflection for the Day
When I say the Serenity Prayer, sometimes over and over, I occasionally lose sight of the prayer's meaning even as I repeat its words. So I try to think of the meaning of each phrase as I say it, whether aloud or silently. As I concentrate on the meaning, my understanding grows, along with my capability to realize the difference between what I can change, and what I cannot.
Do I see that most improvements in my life will come from changing my own attitudes and behavior?
Today I Pray
May my Higher Power show me new and deeper meanings in the Serenity Prayer each time I say it. As I apply it to my life's situations and relationships, may its truth be underlined for me again and again. May I realize that serenity, courage, and wisdom are all that I need to cope with living, but that none of these three have value unless they grow out of my trust in a Higher Power.
Today I Will Remember
God's formula for living: serenity, courage and wisdom.
OCTOBER 12 Reflection for the Day
Many people we meet in Gamblers Anonymous radiate a kind of special glow - a joy in living that shows in their faces and bearing. They've put aside their obsession with gambling and have progressed to the point where they're "high" on life itself. Their confidence and enthusiasm are contagious - especially to those who are new in GA. The astonishing thing to newcomers is that those same joyous people also were once heavily burdened. The miracle of their before-and-after stories and new outlook is living proof that the Program works.
Does my progress in the GA Program serve to carry the message to others?
Today I Pray
I pray that my own transformation through GA - from burdened to unburdened, beaten down to upbeat, careless to caring, tyrannized by gambling to free from gambling - will be as much inspiration for newcomers as the dramatic changes in others' lives have been for me. May I - like those other joyous ones in the Fellowship - learn how to be "high on life."
Today I Will Remember
Life is the greatest "high" of them all.
My progress in recovery depends in large measure on my attitude, and my attitude is up to me. It's the way I decide to look at things. Nobody can force an attitude on me. For me, a good attitude is a point of view unclouded by self-pity and resentments. There will be stumbling blocks in my path, without a doubt. But the Gamblers Anonymous Program has taught me that stumbling blocks can be turned into stepping stones for growth.
Do I believe, as Tennyson, put it, that men may rise on stepping stones of their dead selves to higher things?
Today I Pray
May God help me cultivate a healthy attitude toward myself, the Gamblers Anonymous Program, and other people. God, keep me from losing my spiritual stabilizers, which keep me level in purpose and outlook. Let me ignore self-pity, discouragement, and my tendency to overdramatize. Let no dead-weight burden throw me out of balance.
Today I Will Remember
With God on my side, I need not be discouraged.
"Fundamental progress has to do with the reinterpretation of basic ideas," wrote Alfred North Whitehead. When we review the ups and downs of our recovery in Gamblers Anonymous, we can see the truth of that statement. We make progress each time we get rid of an old idea, each time we uncover a character defect, each time we become ready to have that defect removed. We make progress, one day at a time, as we shun that first bet, that first addictive act that could so quickly swerve us from the path of growth onto the path of despair.
Do I consider the progress I've made since I came to Gamblers Anonymous?
Today I Pray
May I remember that there are few new ideas in this world, only old ones reinterpreted and restated. May I be always conscious that the big things in life - like love, brotherhood, God, abstinence from addictive behavior - become more finely defined in each human life. So may the Twelve Steps of Recovery be redefined in each of our lives, as we keep in mind that these are time-tried principles that work!
Today I Will Remember
The Twelve Steps work.
All too often I unwittingly set standards for others in the Gamblers Anonymous Program. Worse yet, I expect those standards to be met. I go so far, on occasion, to decide what progress other people should make in theirrecoveries, and how theirattitudes and actions should change. Not surprisingly, when things don't work out the way I expect, I become frustrated and even angry. I have to learn to leave others to God. I have to learn neither to demand nor expect changes in others, concentrating solely on my own shortcomings. Finally, I cannot look for perfection in another human being any more than I can expect perfection in myself.
Can I ever be perfect?
Today I Pray
May God ask me to step down immediately if I start to climb up on any of these high places: on my podium, as the know-it-all-scholar; on my soapbox, as the leader who's out to change the world; into my pulpit, as the holier-than-thou-could-possibly-be messenger of God; into the seat of judgment, as the gavel-banging upholder of the law. May God please keep me from vesting myself with all this unwarranted authority and keep me humble.
Today I Will Remember
A heavy hand is not a helping hand.
OCTOBER 16 Reflection for the Day
Someone once said that the mind's direction is more important than its progress. If my direction is correct, then progress is sure to follow. We first come to Gamblers Anonymous to receive something for ourselves, but soon learn that we receive most bountifully when we give to others. If the direction of my mind is to give rather than to receive, then I'll benefit beyond my greatest expectations. The more I give of myself and the more generously I open my heart and mind to others, the more growth and progress I'll achieve.
Am I learning not to measure my giving against my getting, accepting that the act of giving is its own reward?
Today I Pray
May I not lose sight of that Pillar of the Program: helping myself through helping others in our purpose of achieving comfortable abstinence from gambling. From the moment I take the First Step of Recovery, may I feel that marvel of giving and taking and giving back again. May I care deeply about others' maintaining their freedom from gambling, and may I know that they care about me. It is a simple and beautiful exchange.
Today I Will Remember
Give and take and give back again.
All my life I searched for what would bring me happiness, traveling many roads, fast and slow. Most of the roads I chose were easier, softer ways, but the destinations were unsatisfying. I always turned back and chose another - again the easiest road to travel. I thought they were short cuts, but instead they swung wide of my goals. When I finally came to Gamblers Anonymous, it was the only road left for me.
In spite of an occasional pot-hole or speed bump, am I convinced that I'm at last on the right road? Do I travel the GA way willingly?
Today I Pray
Today I wake up with a choice. Are my actions and thoughts taking me on that road to relapse, or am I talking and walking the road of recovery? May I ask my Higher Power for directions, because I am no longer the sole guide of my life. May I ask no other road-sign of progress than a smile I can honestly mean and a clear eye and a mind that can, at last, touch reality. May my own joy be my answer to my question, "Have I chosen the right road?"
Today I Will Remember
Miracles mark our progress. Who needs more?
Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the rewards that would be mine when I first contemplated turning my life and will over to the care of God as I understood Him. Now I can rejoice in the blessing of my own recovery, as well as the recoveries of countless others who have found hope and a new way of life in the Gamblers Anonymous Program. After all the years of waste and terror, I realize today that God has always been on my side and at my side.
Isn't my clearer understanding of God's will one of the best things that has happened to me?
Today I Pray
May I be thankful for the blessed contrast between the way my life used to be (Part I) and the way it is now (Part II). In Part I, I was the practicing gambler, with an insatiable hunger to be in action, adrift among my fears and delusions. In Part II, I am the recovering compulsive gambler, rediscovering my emotions, accepting my responsibilities, learning what the real world has to offer. Without the contrast, I could never feel the joy I know today or sense the peaceful nearness of my Higher Power.
Today I Will Remember
I am grateful for such a contrast.
There are countless ways by which my progress and growth in the Gamblers Anonymous Program can be measured. One of the most important is my awareness that I'm no longer compelled, almost obsessively, to go around judging everything and everybody. My only business today is to work on changing myself, rather than other people, places, and things. In its own way, the obsession of being forever judgmental was as burdensome to me as the obsession of my gambling; I'm grateful that both weights have been lifted from my shoulders.
When I become judgmental, will I remind myself that I am trespassing on God's territory?
Today I Pray
Forgive me my trespasses, when I have become the self-proclaimed judge-and-jury of my peers. By being judgmental, I have trespassed on the rights of others to judge themselves - and on the rights of God in the Highest Court of all. May I throw away all my judgmental tools - my own yardstick and measuring tapes, my own comparisons, my unreachable standards - and accept each person as an individual beyond compare.
Today I Will Remember
Throw away old tapes - especially measuring tapes.
Before I admitted my powerlessness over gambling, I had as much self-worth as a "peeled zero." I came into Gamblers Anonymous as a nobody who desperately wanted to be a somebody. In retrospect, my self-esteem was shredded, seemingly beyond repair. Gradually, the Program has enabled me to achieve an ever stronger sense of self-worth. I've come to accept myself, realizing that I'm not as bad as I had always supposed myself to be.
Am I learning that my self-worth is not dependent on the approval of others, but instead is truly an "inside job"?
Today I Pray
When I am feeling down and worthless, may my Higher Power and my friends in the group help me see that, although I was "fallen," I was not "cast down." However sick I might have been in my gambling days, with all the self-esteem of an earthworm, may I know that I still had the power of choice. And I chose to do something about myself. May that good choice be the basis for my reactivated self-worth.
Today I Will Remember
I will not kick myself when I'm down.
There's a world of difference between the idea of self-love and love of self. Self-love is a reflection of an inflated ego, around which - in our distorted view of our own self-importance - everything must revolve. Self-love is the breeding ground for hostility, arrogance, and a host of other characters defects that blind us to any points of view but our own. Love of self, in contrast, is an appreciation of our dignity and value as human beings. Love of self is an expression of self-realization, from which springs humility.
Do I believe I can love others best when I have gained love of self?
Today I Pray
May God, who loves me, teach me to love myself. May I notice that the most arrogant and officious humans are not so completely sure of themselves, after all. Instead, they are apt to have a painfully low self-image, an insecurity that they cloak in pomp and princely trappings. May God show me that when I can like myself, I am duly crediting Him, since every living thing is a work of God.
Today I Will Remember
I will try to like myself.
"Not all those who know their minds know their hearts as well," wrote La Rochefoucauld. The Gamblers Anonymous Program is of inestimable value for those of us recovering compulsive gamblers who want to know ourselves and who are courageous enough to seek growth through self-examination and self-improvement. If I remain honest, open-minded, and willing, The GA Program will enable me to rid myself of my self-deceptive attitudes and character flaws that for so long prevented me from growing into the kind of person I want to be.
Do I try to help others understand GA's Twelve Steps of Recovery? Do I carry the message by example?
Today I Pray
I ask God's blessing for the Gamblers Anonymous Fellowship, which has shown me so much about myself that I was not willing to face on my own. May I have the courage to be confronted and to confront, not only to be honest for honesty's sake - which may be reason enough - but to allow myself and the others in the group to grow in self-knowledge.
Today I Will Remember
We are mirrors of each other.
"One's own self is well hidden from one's own self," a renowned philosopher once wrote. "Of all mines of treasure, one's own is the last to be dug up." The Gamblers Anonymous Twelve Steps of Recovery have enabled me to unearth my "own self," the one that for so long was buried beneath my desperate need for approval from others. Thanks to the Gamblers Anonymous Program and my Higher Power, I've begun acquiring a true sense of self and a comfortable sense of confidence. No longer do I have to react chameleon-like, changing my color from one moment to the next, fruitlessly trying to be all things to all people.
Do I strive at all times to be true to myself?
Today I Pray
I pray that I may be honest with myself, and that I will continue - with the help of God and my friends - to try to get to know the real me. May I know that I cannot suddenly be a pulled-together, totally defined, completely consistent personality; it may take a while to develop into that personality, to work out my values and my priorities. May I know now that I have a good start on being who I want to be.
Today I Will Remember
I'm getting to be who I want to be.
OCTOBER 24 Reflection for the Day
"You cannot play with the animal in you without becoming wholly animal, play with falsehood without forfeiting your right to truth, play with cruelty without losing your sensitivity of mind. He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn't reserve a plot for weeds," - Dag Hammerskjold. If I want to keep my garden tidy, I must always remember not to save a place for weeds and then be caught off-guard. By putting myself in tempting situations, following the odds or point spreads, checking the lottery payoff, or even listening to my old friends talk, I may be reserving a plot for weeds to grow.
Do I know now that if suddenly I am given or receive money for which I am not accountable, only weeds will spring forth from this situation?
Today I Pray
May I spend more time weeding, fertilizing, and expanding the plots that yield crops of happiness, joy, peace, and serenity, rather than setting aside weed plots for misery, pain, and suffering. May I not forget that those weeds will always be ready to grow unless I am a watchful gardener.
Today I Will Remember
We reap whatever we sow.
My gambling addiction was like a thief in more ways than I can count. It robbed me not only of money, property, and other material things, but of dignity and self-respect, while my family and friends suffered right along with me. Gambling also robbed me of the ability to treat myself properly, as God would treat me. Today, in total contrast, I'm capable of true love of self - to the extent that I'm able to provide myself with more love than even I need. So I give that love away to other people in the Gamblers Anonymous Program, just as they have given their love to me.
Do I thank God for bringing me to a Program in which sick people are loved back to health?
Today I Pray
Thanks be to God for a way of life that generates such love and caring that we in the GA Program can't help but learn to love ourselves. When I see that someone cares about me, I am more apt to be convinced that perhaps I am, after all, worth caring about. May I be conscious always of the love I am now able to give - and give it.
Today I Will Remember
Someone caring about me makes me feel worth caring about.